In brief: Asana Eladi Thailam (also written Asanaeladi Thailam, Asana Eladi Keram, Asana Eladi coconut oil or Asanaeladi Thailam) is a classical Ayurvedic oil for the head and hair: the heartwood of Asana, the Indian kino tree, cooked with the Eladi group of aromatics, led by cardamom, into coconut oil. The classical texts name it for Shiroabhyanga, the oil massage of the scalp. This guide explains what Asana Eladi Thailam is, how the tradition describes and uses it, what it is not, and which oils in the Art of Vedas range come closest.
What Asana Eladi Thailam is and what the name means
The name joins two ingredients. Asana is the heartwood of Pterocarpus marsupium, the Indian kino tree, also called Bijaka or Vijayasara in the classical texts, a dense red wood that is simmered into a decoction. Eladi is "cardamom and the others", the group of aromatic plants that opens with Ela, cardamom, listed as a named group, or gana, in the Ashtanga Hridayam.
Asana Eladi Thailam, Asanaeladi Thailam, Asana Eladi Thailam and Asana Eladi oil are the same preparation. Asana Eladi Keram, Asana Eladi Keratailam and Asana Eladi coconut oil name the version cooked into coconut oil, the usual form, since coconut is the traditional head-oil base.
The classical description
Asana Eladi Thailam is cited from the Sahasrayogam. The classical recipe names, among others, Asana heartwood, which gives the decoction, and the Eladi group, which gives the paste: cardamom, Indian bay leaf, cinnamon, Nagakesara flower and the other aromatics of that group. The decoction and the paste are cooked slowly into coconut oil by the Sneha Paka method until the water has gone. No herb count is given here, because the Eladi group is listed differently from text to text.
The same group gives Eladi Thailam its name, which is why the two oils are often confused. In Eladi Thailam the aromatics are cooked into sesame oil for the skin; in Asana Eladi Thailam they are cooked with the Asana decoction into coconut oil for the head. Our complete guide to traditional Thailams describes the method and the base oils.
Character in Ayurvedic terms
The classical texts describe Asana as astringent and light and the Eladi aromatics as fragrant and warming, and they describe coconut oil as cooling. The combination is placed with Kapha and Pitta rather than with Vata: a head oil that is neither heavy nor hot, named among those used in the regular care of the scalp and hair.
How Asana Eladi Thailam is used in practice
Asana Eladi Thailam is used externally, on the head, as the oil for Shiroabhyanga. Warm a teaspoon or two by standing the closed bottle in warm water; coconut-based oils set in a cool room and need this step. Never use a microwave. Part the hair and work the oil into the scalp with the fingertips in slow circles, from the crown outwards, for five to ten minutes, then draw the rest along the hair. Leave it on for at least half an hour, or overnight with a towel on the pillow, and wash the hair as usual. Once or twice a week is the usual rhythm. The full sequence is in our Abhyanga guide.
What Asana Eladi Thailam is not
It is not a body oil: the coconut base and the aromatic paste make it a scalp oil, not an Abhyanga oil for the limbs. It is also not a product that promises hair growth. The classical texts describe it as part of the regular care of the scalp and hair, and that is how this guide describes it. Anyone concerned about their hair should speak to a doctor or a qualified Ayurvedic practitioner rather than rely on an oil.
Who should ask first
Asana Eladi Thailam is for external use only. Do a small skin test behind the ear or on the inner forearm before the first full application, keep the oil away from the eyes, and do not apply it to broken skin. Anyone who reacts to cinnamon, cardamom or other aromatic plants should check the declared list of any oil first. If you are pregnant or wish to use any oil on a child, ask your doctor or a qualified Ayurvedic practitioner first.
Asana Eladi Thailam and the Art of Vedas range
Art of Vedas does not currently offer Asana Eladi Thailam or Asana Eladi Keram. The closest oils in our range are Eladi Thailam, which carries the same Eladi group of aromatics in a sesame base for the face and body, and Neelibhringadi Thailam, the classical head and hair oil of our range, with indigo leaf, Bhringaraj and Amla. For a scalp oil Neelibhringadi is the nearer match; for the Eladi aromatics themselves, Eladi Thailam.
